51% Of British Believe Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's Kids 'Should Not' Get Royal Titles

Buckingham Palace recently updated Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children's royal titles on its website. But a poll has suggested that this development was not welcomed by most British citizens.

Earlier this month, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex publicly used the titles prince and princess for their children, 3-year-old Archie Harrison and 1-year-old Lilibet Diana, for the first time.

On Thursday, the palace updated the British royal family's official website to reflect the titles of Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex. They were previously called "Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor" and "Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor," People reported.

The siblings' titles are now in line with the precedent established by the late King George V, who decreed in 1917 that the titles of prince or princess shall be bestowed upon male-line grandchildren of the sovereign.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year, Prince Harry's father, now-King Charles III, ascended to the throne, giving Archie and Lilibet a right to the titles as grandchildren of the monarch.

"The children's titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became monarch," a representative for Prince Harry and Markle told People. "This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace."

Although the siblings' royal titles were long overdue, a survey conducted by British market research firm YouGov showed that the majority of U.K. adults disagreed that Archie and Lilibet should be named prince and princess.

The results, published on the company's website on March 13, showed that 51% of adult respondents answered that "they should not" be given royal titles, while only 25% responded that "they should." The rest had no opinion on the matter.

The reasons respondents disagreed with giving the Sussexes' kids royal titles were not stated in the report.

Prince Harry and Markle have had a strained relationship with the royal family since they relinquished their roles as senior working royals and relocated to California in 2020.

The couple sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey the following year and made bombshell revelations against the royal family, including allegations of racism and mistreatment as well as claims that the royals cut them out financially and removed their security.

Prince Harry and Markle also released several projects in which they discussed their experience within the royal family, including the Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan" and the 38-year-old duke's best-selling memoir "Spare."

Several media outlets reported that the British royal family was allegedly upset over the couple's projects, most notably Prince Harry's older brother and heir to the throne, Prince William.

In "Spare," King Charles' youngest son alleged that the 40-year-old Prince of Wales physically assaulted him during an argument and that some senior royals leaked private conversations to the media.

Despite the ongoing feud, Archie and Lilibet were bestowed royal titles. However, their attendance at King Charles' upcoming coronation at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6 remains uncertain. The siblings reportedly have "not yet" received an invitation.